ADMINISTRATIVE CORE ABSTRACT The Administrative Core of the Nebraska Center for Cellular Signaling (NCCS) has been vital to all activities of the Center since its inception. We request funds to continue supporting the proposed Administrative Core for Phase III, which includes a Director and an Associate Director who are responsible for the overall administration of the Center and for reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). We propose to support a Core Director and co-Director for the Live-Cell Imaging Core, who will maintain the core, implement the policies that govern the core, and oversee the programs the core provides. These four individuals will serve as the Executive Committee of the Center and will internally assess progress toward Center goals. We will continue utilizing a governing structure with an internal Administrative Advisory Council and an External Advisory Council for guidance and progress reviews. We will also support an Administrative Assistant who will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Center. All these participants in the Administrative Core will be necessary to carry out the following specific aims of our Phase 111 application: Aim 1) Provide support to sustain collaborative research and mentoring of new investigators in cellular signaling; Aim 2) Strengthen research capabilities, innovation, and funding support for investigators affiliated with the NCCS; and Aim S) Graduate the NCCS from IDeA funding as a self-sustaining center of research excellence in cellular signaling. The Administrative Core will oversee the various activities of the NCCS such as a monthly meeting with research presentations by Center members; supporting seminar programs in Oral Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Eppley Institute; an annual meeting centered around a review of our program by the External Advisory Council; facilitating the operations of the Cores; and fostering team building by administering the pilot grants and mentoring programs. In addition, the Administrative Core will coordinate the Professional Development Program, which will promote success of junior investigators and increase funding of collaborative team grants. We have obtained significant commitments from the College of Dentistry, the Eppley Institute and the Vice Chancellor for Research of UNMC that will help in all aspects of the Center's function, especially the Pilot Grant Program and the Live-Cell Imaging Core. Further institutional support comes in the form of support for the physical spaces occupied by the laboratories and offices of Center members, the cores and Center administrators.